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It sure is shiny on paper, that 2014 Kentucky football recruiting class. Coach Mark Stoops and staff signed the 17th-best class in the country, according to Rivals.com, the program's highest-rated haul in the history of Internet rankings. There were 10 four-star prospects in that group.

For perspective, previous coach Joker Phillips' final class in 2012 ranked 63rd nationally and included just one four-star player (quarterback Patrick Towles, who enters this fall as the frontrunner for the starting job). So now the question, coming off a second straight 2-10 season, is this: Who's ready right now to help turn this thing around?

Defensive coordinator D.J. Eliot has said 6-7, 375-pound tackle Matt Elam – a five-star prospect, per 247Sports – might be ready to contribute, at least a little, immediately. Others newcomers on defense will need to help even more, including junior-college transfer Ryan Flannigan at linebacker.

But what about offense? Other than quarterback Drew Barker, which freshmen could play this fall?

"Some of those young receivers are going to have to play," offensive coordinator Neal Brown told The Courier-Journal this week. "And when I say the young ones, I'm talking about the kids in this last recruiting class, the 2014 recruiting class. Some of those guys are going to have to step up and play. I think the first one that could really help us is Garrett Johnson."

Johnson is a 5-foot-11, 176-pound wideout from Florida who was rated a three-star prospect by Rivals but had a slew of scholarship offers from major-conference programs.

"I think he's probably the most mature of the receivers we have – really, really good route runner, separates, played against really good people, was really well coached in high school," Brown said. "He's the first one that jumps out."

The Cats also signed four-star receivers Dorian Baker from Ohio, who is 6-3, 197-pounds, and Blake Bone from South Carolina, who is 6-5, 198 pounds. Those two also made Brown's most-likely-to-contribute list.

"We've got to have at least one of the big (receivers) step up and be able to contribute this fall," he said. "We'd also like for somebody like Josh Krok to come in and be a factor in that third or fourth tackle position."

Krok is a massive lineman, listed at 6-8, 303 pounds on UK's roster. Rivals rated the Ohio native the No. 39 offensive tackle recruit in the country. He picked the Cats over offers including Louisville and West Virginia. He plays a position of significant need for Kentucky.

Asked what he is still most concerned about coming out of spring practice and heading into fall camp, Brown first noted wide-receiver depth, then backup offensive tackle.

"We've got to figure out who our third offensive tackle is going to be" behind starters Darrian Miller and Jordan Swindle, Brown said. "Those are probably the biggest concerns. Both those guys (Miller and Swindle) can kind of flip around and play both sides, so we've got to figure out who our third offensive tackle's going to be, whether it's going to be Teven Eatmon or Kyle Meadows or somebody else. We've got to figure out early in camp who that guy's going to be.

"Meadows is really talented, put on a lot of weight, has got his body in a position where he can compete, but he's going to be a redshirt freshman, and that's young for an offensive lineman."

But these Cats will have to count on some young players to start turning the around the program.

Four-star quarterback Barker and four-star running back Mikel Horton, both of whom enrolled early and went through spring ball, are in the mix for playing time at their positions. Fellow four-star freshman Stanley "Boom" Williams, a running back who joined the team this summer, will have a shot – although that position is already pretty stacked.

Despite all their glittering credentials, Brown has a word of caution about this freshman class.

"I think we've got to be careful of not anointing them yet, because we've got some good players already here," Brown said. "That's something they've got to understand. I think it was a little bit of a shock to them, too. You walk in and you've been reading your press clippings since last summer, then you get here and we've got some good players here. You're just not going to walk in and be the guy.

"It's a totally different game. You go from playing in high school against 14, 15, 16-year-olds to now you're playing against 20, 21, 22-year-olds.That's a whole different ballgame. What's required of you and your time and your body, not only in football but in school, changes."

He doesn't mean to throw a wet blanket on the sudden hope some fans now have for the program. He's also hopeful. Most of the freshmen are already on campus and they certainly pass the eyeball test.

"It's a really good group. I'm glad, excited about them. What they've done in high school, it's great and all that, but now it's kind of: What can you do now?" Brown said. "I think we've got some really good players in that class, some guys that will be able to compete (immediately) and some guys that'll redshirt and have an opportunity to be three- and four-year starters. But I think we've got to be careful about thinking they're going to come in and be immediate superstars."

* For instant updates on the Wildcats, follow me on Twitter @KyleTucker_CJ. Email me at ktucker@courier-journal.com.